Definitely Not For Vegetarians
The Good
John Layman's Chew is one of the great secrets of the comic world. This issue continues to establish the series as something to be reckoned with. John Layman's flair for dialogue shines through here, with every character shining with wit and personality. At first, I was apprehensive about adding a vampire into the story but once we discover the origin of the character, it makes a lot of sense. There continues to be some great gross out moments, such as what happens to a certain cook... let's just say, it managed to shock me and i'm not that easy to shock! A special mention must be made to Rob Guillory's artwork, which continues to be unique, cartoony and fun to look at.
The Bad
One of my long-lasting criticisms of this series from the beginning is that it feels like an idea that will run out of steam extremely quickly. In this way, Chew feels like a miniseries. While the idea of a cop that can see the last moments of an organisms life by eating it may be fresh now, I worry about the future of this series. Hopefully, John Layman can continue to innovate. Also, there are some issues with the art. While it is consistently good, I don't like how each character is drawn in a radically different way to the next. I feel there needs to be more aesthetic simiarity here because seeing some of these characters stand next to each other looks like they were copied from six different comic books and pasted in.
Conclusion
If you haven't heard of it yet, Chew is a shining jewel in Image Comic's current line. If you're a fan, then you're already in on this one. While this issue marks the end of a story arc, I think this series will be amazing in trades. Buy it now and sink your teeth (sorry) into a truly phenonmenal series.
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